Napier travel guide — Napier tourism and travel information

Welcome to Napier Travel Guide, extensive source of tourist information and travel services offer related to Napier and New Zealand. Book cheap hotels, cheap flights and get car rental. We also offer Napier travel guide books and maps and atlases. Please visit New Zealand travel guide for more travel and tourism iformation and attractions in the New Zealand.

our Napier travel guide — Napier tourism and travel information content

Napier travel and tourist guide
Napier travel services
Napier travel books
- Napier travel guide books
- Napier maps and atlases

latest Napier and New Zealand discussion posts

Join our comprehensive travel discussion board! Share your Napier and New Zealand travel experience! Our Ask and Answer forum is geographically divided, the team of editors world-wide is ready to answer your questions.

insert new comment or question »

Napier travel guide

about Napier

Napier is an important port city in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. With a population of about 55,000, it is on the east coast of the North Island, about four hours drive north of the capital, Wellington.

It is the major city in the Hawkes Bay region which is the largest crossbred wool centre in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest apple, pear and stonefruit producing areas in New Zealand. It has also become an important grape growing and wine production area. There are large frozen meat, wool, pulp and timber tonnages passing through Napier’s port.

Napier is a popular retirement city and tourist resort, and has one of the most photographed tourist attractions in the country, a statue on Marine Parade called Pania Of The Reef.

Napier history

In 1931 Napier was levelled by an earthquake and ensuing fires which killed 258 people. The city was rebuilt in the popular Art Deco style of the time, and remains a fine example of this type of architecture: it is reputed to be the largest collection of Art Deco buildings outside Miami.

In January 1945, the German submarine U862 entered the Port of Napier undetected. That event later became the basis of a widely circulated post-war myth that Kapitanleutnant Heinrich Timm took his crew ashore near Napier to milk cows to supplement their rations.

First European to who sailed down the east coast in October 1769. He commented: "On each side of this bluff head is a low, narrow sand or stone beach, between these beaches and the mainland is a pretty large lake of salt water I suppose." He said the harbour entrance, was at the Westshore end of the shingle beach.

Early history

Napier has a well documented Maori history.

When the Ngati Kahungunu party of Taraia reached the district many centuries ago, the Whatumamoa, Rangitane and the Ngati Awa and elements of the Ngati Tara existed in the areas of Petane, Te Whanganui-a-Orotu and Waiohiki. Later, the Ngati Kahungunu became the dominant force from Poverty Bay to Wellington. They were one of the first Maori tribes to come in contact with European settlers.

Chief Te Ahuriri cut a channel into the lagoon space at Ahuriri because the Westshore entrance had became blocked, threatening cultivations surrounding the Whanga and the fishing villages on the islands in the lagoon. The rivers were continually feeding freshwater into the area.

Te Whanganui-a-Orotu is still regarded as a Taonga Tuku Iho (a treasure for all time).

Traders, whalers and missionaries were the first Europeans to visit the area and investigate establishing residency, and in the 1850s farmers and hotel-keepers arrived.

The Crown purchased the Ahuriri block (including the site of Napier) in 1851. In 1854 Alfred Domett was appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands and resident magistrate at Ahuriri. A plan was prepared and the town named after Sir Charles Napier, hero of the Battle of Meeanee in the Indian province of Scinde.

Domett named many streets in the settlement to commemorate the great colonial era of the British Indian Empire. He also displayed his own literary preferences by naming streets after famous artists and literary figures.

The town was constituted a borough in 1874 and development of the surrounding marsh lands and reclamation proceeded slowly. Between 1852 and 1876 Napier was the administrative centre for the Hawke?s Bay Provincial Government but in 1876 the Abolition of Provinces Act dissolved provincial government, replacing it with a central assembly in Wellington.

Development was generally confined to the hill and to the port area of Ahuriri. In the early days Napier consisted of an oblong mass of hills (Scinde Island) almost entirely surrounded by water, from which ran out two single spits, one to the north and one to the south. There was a swamp between the now Hastings Street and Wellesley Road and the water extended to Clive Square. Some 40 km² of todays Napier was undersea before the earthquake lifted it up.

Near cities to Napier

Near webcams to Napier

Napier travel services

choose from our international travel services offer:

cheap flights to Napier

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of four main cheap airline tickets and cheap flights online booking systems. We are happy to offer cheap airline tickets Napier, cheap flights Napier, also available cheap airline tickets to New Zealand and to the whole world. Up to date cheap flights Napier deals also available.

cheap Napier hotels

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of main cheap hotels and accommodation online booking systems. We are happy to offer cheap hotels in Napier, New Zealand hotel guide and cheap hotels and accommodation in lot of other world-wide destinations. Up to date cheap Napier hotel deals and discount accommodation tips also available.

cheap Napier vacations

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of main cheap vacations online booking systems. We are happy to offer cheap vacations in Napier, New Zealand vacation rentals and cheap vacations in lot of other destinations world-wide. Up to date Napier vacation deals also available.

cheap car rentals in Napier

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of main car rentals online booking systems. We are happy to offer car rentals in Napier, car hire in New Zealand and cheap car rental in lot other world-wide destinations. Up to date cheap Napier car hire deals also available.

Napier travel insurance

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of Essential Travel Ltd., leading online travel insurance company, we can offer you health travel insurance for Napier, accident health Napier travel insurance, all using our online Napier travel insurance form. We also offer travel insurance for other cities in New Zealand. This offer is available for UK residents only.

Napier real estate

City Travel Guide comes with Napier real estate guide with several tips on home valuation, realtors comparison, secrets on finding the "right" home, loans guide and other helpful real estate advices. Our partners also maintain Napier property for sale and rental listings, real estate laws and reviews. We will try to help you with buying property in New Zealand, choosing real estate agents, property finders, relocation help, and information for English speakers wanting to buy real estate in Napier.

Napier travel books

Napier travel guide books

Napier maps and atlases

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Napier, New Zealand".

Europe

North America

South America

Asia

Australia

Africa

world city travel guides

Australia city travel guide

New Zealand city travel guide

Napier, New Zealand travel guide